Bosnia & Herzegovina
A miracle which does not shine
If there is one enduring image of the Balkans, it is the horror of war and atrocity in Bosnia and Herzegovina,. Today, the country us demilitarised and ethnic violence is a thing of the past. But the wounds of the war, and the frustrations with a peace that many still see as unjust, are undermining attempts to build a functioning Bosnian State.
The long wait for Europe
by Adelheid Wölfl*
This is perhaps the saddest film of the Return to Europe series, although it is mainly about the miracle of peace. Nevertheless, images of war and evidence of loss of humanity permeate almost every sequence. The sense of tragedy is ubiquitous – even when the camera is simply focusing on the flaking red star on the ruins of what was once the gunpowder factory in Vitez, which employed a workforce of 3000 in the old days.
It can also be seen in the life stories of the people whom Return to Europe visited in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These portraits do not gloss over the tragedies experienced by this country. Take Franjo’s children, for example. They hardly ever see their father – he is still suffering from shellshock and spends much of his time shut up in the basement. Consider the villagers in Ahmići, where the Bosnian Croat army massacred dozens of Bosniaks in 1993. Although many are still trying to bring those responsible for these atrocities to justice, Bosniaks and Croats are now living together peacefully in the village. Cautiously and objectively, the film traces the crimes committed during the war. “We were all guilty,” says Catholic priest Mirko. This admission is a sign that much has changed since the war.
The film follows Bosnian woman Alida Vračić, who was still a child in Sarajevo during the war, and the founder of the European Stability Initiative (ESI) Gerald Knaus on their search for the reasons why Bosnia is now stagnating. They encounter Bosnian politicians who only feel a sense of responsibility towards their own ethnic group. The Special Representative for Bosnia, Miroslav Lajcak, speaks of how he “feels” that the presence of international organisations is still necessary. Philosopher and psychotherapist Ugo Vlaisavljević believes that Bosnians – both the victims and the perpetrators – will not be able to gain any closure on the events of the past unless all the parties involved come out with a common statement to explain exactly what happened.
But the film’s two protagonists also come across people who are capable of seeing beyond ethnic boundaries – because to do so is to their material advantage. One such person is self-made man Pero Gudelj, who, despite receiving death threats, allows everyone and anyone to work for him: Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks – who cares? The EU’s successful formula of economic ties preventing political conflict is being implemented on the ground by people like Gudelj.
But Return to Europe also clearly demonstrates that political conflict is still very much impeding development. In a series of short, sharp snapshots we experience, for example, the fury of Bosnian band Dubioza Kolektiv, who rage against the “clandestine occupation” of the international community, the utterly ineffective state structure (”I don’t want ten cantons”, “Destroy the triple-headed monster”) and the persistent cynicism of the EU. Poignantly, the camera then moves along the line of people queuing for a visa in the rain in front of the Austrian embassy.
*permanent member of staff with DER STANDARD
Bosnia – A miracle which does not shine
1. Introduction: A normal country?
2. Foreign investment in Stanari
3. The legacies of war
4. Sarajevos quiet occupation
5. Fortress Bosnia
6. Vitez and Pero Gudelj
7. Identities
8. Novi Travnik
9. Minority return in Doboj and Ševarlije
10. Open wounds
11. Dealing with the past
12. A European future?
